Job Discussion Forums

[IanW]

I haven't seen much on these locations and they just sound so interesting to me. Are Lebanon and Syria safe to live in? What kind of opportunities are there for an American with a BA and a few years of teaching experience?

[basiltherat]

Damascus is perfectly safe (at least it was 2 months ago when I left) despite what you might hear to the contrary. Jobs are available there. New Horizons, ALC and the British council (currently advertising) come to mind initially.
best
basil

[Tom Le Seelleur]

Ian
I worked in Beirut during the civil war when there was a lot more violence. These days, there is a lot less and there are safe places to work and live. It is a great place to work in and there are plenty of places to work. Suggest you visit the country and visit the various schools and colleges. The pay won't be fantastic but the night life, scenery and friendliness of the people is not easily matched. I went to a conference there a couple of years ago and it has become a much better place, despite the recent events.
Tom

[orangepeel1]

I have worked in Lebanon for 2 years and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. First of all, the food is amazing. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats for a fraction of what they cost in the states. If you eat what is in season here and cook at home, you can save alot of money that way. Imported goods are much more expensive that local items as in most countries...

In Beirut there is an amazing night life, as well as in Tripoli to the North, and in Tyr to the South...Nature is a huge plus! The Sea is as calm as glass and the beaches are great...its gorgeous and there is snow year round on the mountains to the west.... which makes for great skiiing/ snowboarding!

The weather is very agreeable here, mild winters and hot but do-able summers... Im from Indiana and the summers are comparable to back home... the ocean breeze cools things down considerably. Now if you want to go to Beirut, you can wear whatever you want. People dress as modestly or as liberally as they want there. In the south, things are slightly more conservative however, you can still wear what you want comfortably. If you have never been to an eastern country, it might surprize you how the men tend to gawk and stare- make cat calls and so on, but you get used to that quickly and learn to ignore it. I dont notice them at all anymore....

In Lebanon, I have found that there are NUMEROUS opportunities for work. This is a country that traditionally speaks French as the second lanugage, however things are changing. The youth in particular is interested in English only, and French is falling behind. Recently many new schools, English only schools, have been opening all over the country... And EVERY one of them would kill to have a native speaker working for them. There are positions at the elementary, secondary, and university levels all the time actually....If you have a degree, you are basically hired. Even if you are less than qualified, a fresh graduate... no worries here! There is a general attitude that our western education speaks for itself.

Working in Lebanon requires one to be slightly flexible. I work in the south where payday will come sometime around the day on which you are supposed to be paid. This country has organizational issues, and it stims from the very top. The closer to Beirut you are, the more organized things are, but expect to be tested if you are the structured type. On the up side, people tend to be extremely forgiving here. Late is actually on time... deadlines can always be pushed back....If you are looking for the type of work that is not gonna kill you, Lebanon is the place to go. Also, you can definently put your family first here as all people understand family commitments....

Hmmm what else... You asked about safety. Actually, things got kind of hairy this past spring because the Lebanese government was unable to elect a president who everyone could agree on. Luckily they picked a guy, finally, and things have been calm ever since. During the hairy time, I never felt that my life was in danger. The worst of it was that they cut off the electricity for awhile...The way it is here, is that there is not electricity 24/7. The electricity is alternated with generator power. On the generator, you can use your fridge, your computer, lights and TV... but not the washing machine or hair dryer... You have to swap things as you need them on reduced power. Again the closer you are to Beirut, the less you have to worry about these issues. Another issue pertaining to safety is the Palestinian camps in the country. The farther you live from them, the better. I actually live near to one. I have heard shooting 2 times over the course of 2 years...but I was never in danger as the camps are surronded by troops and it is considered commonplace for them to have occasional spats here. If you are concerned with these matters, Id say stay in Beirut. The American Embassy here is amazing... they will call you and email you with advice at the slightest notion of trouble.... My personal stance is that Lebanon is safer than people back home think. If you mind your own business and TRY to steer clear of trouble, you will be totally fine. More often than not, people who get hurt or caught in bad situations are those who go looking for trouble.

The attitude towards Americans, Canadians, UKs, ect here is wonderful. Its almost like celebrity status. Everyone will wish you a good morning, ask you where you are from, why you are here. Lebanon is a friendly country, strangers love to chit chat. If you are in Beirut, there is a high ex-pat population and it is considered commonplace. Outside of Beirut, its slightly more unusual to meet a westerner. At the same time, you are much more marketable outside Beirut.

I did a year teaching TOEFL and Nursery school here, and another year at the university level. One piece of advice I can give you is that the interview goes a looong way here. The Lebanese, forgive me if I sound judgemental or cirtical, can be superficial at times. Fashion, looks, and "class" are very important. If you look good, are very professional, if you "talk the talk" so to speak, that is often times as important as "walking the walk" around here. You should start by applying to the major Universities in the country. American University of Beirut has a very large ex-pat staff most of whom hold PhDs or at the veeeery least Masters degrees. LAU is another huge university that is prestigious and seeks out only the best. Most of the other universities have great English programs that hire teachers year round. These are the best paying positions. The leading secondary schools in Beirut also pay well... The hours in Lebanon are wonderful!!!! A six hour work day is full time, 5 days a week sometimes four. You can always work more hours if you want or teach privately from home. There are also options at the millions of Language Centers here. I would stay away from International House, PM me for more on that, but the Amideast organization is great, as well as British Council.....

I have a million things I could say about living here. If you have any specific questions concerning salary, where to live, where to work... just PM me!

Good LUCK!

[veiledsentiments]

So, orangepeel... thanks for the two extensive posts on Lebanon. They were very informative.

Here's a couple questions that may help future readers of this thread. Are there many female expats in the south who are not married to a local? Is this a place where you just arrive and start knocking on doors? What is the best time of the year to arrive to find a job?

I noted that you are applying for jobs in the Gulf. Is it just because you think it may allow you to save more money? More opportunities for your husband? Just curious as you are so positive about Lebanon and the lifestyle there is certainly more fun. But, of course, you can always go back in a contract or two.

VS

[orangepeel1]

[777]

Hi Orangepeel,
Which other universities are there besides AUB and LAU, since as you said, they have pretty high standards and acquiring a position might not be so easy.

Thanks.

[orangepeel1]

I will PM you!

[kernow]

I'm curious about your comment re International House. There are a number of branches in Lebanon and they are definitely not all the same. Which branch was your experience with?

[orangepeel1]

No, they are not all the same, but they are all under the same management... which in my opinion is appalling. I don�t know why some people feel that teachers are servants, or that they can get away with treating teachers as such. Are you familiar with Lebanon? If you are, then you are well aware of the fact that being a native speaker is something special here. I was totally new to the ESL world when I came here and I found the native speaker preference odd. Just for the record, I am a humble person and I don�t necessarily believe that being a native speaker �makes or breaks� a good ESL teacher. I think there are advantages and disadvantages accordingly. Anyways, getting back to IH, there were people who were totally threatened by the fact that English is my native language. Certain managerial staff would go well out of their way in attempts to catch me in a mistake� often over British vs. American colloquialisms and other debatable grammaticisms�

You are 100% correct when you say that the centers are not all the same. In fact, thats one of the major problems. The IH centers are not uniform. They are disorganized in relation to each other. From the business perspective, certain centers treat their staff with no dignity. They call you in on a whim, reschedule classes at the last minute, they pay late consistently, I had more checks bounce from the IH organization than I can count, and I suffered from the embarrassment of leaving my bank empty handed more often than not. What they advertise is totally different than what you get. Classes range from 3 students to 45. Often times teaching materials are late or absent all together. It�s a mess, and that is me being kind! The worst of it, and this is uniform, is that the management there works on a �need to know basis� and the teachers don�t need to know! There is an air of secrecy about everything and you just feel shut out. They try to disguise this as professionalism, but in reality it�s a cover up for lack of teamwork, bullying, poor management, and more control freaking.

As a new teacher I began to seriously question myself and my abilities when I worked there. When the management would critique me, I felt that they were being critical instead of constructive. I felt that because I am a native speaker, they were searching for anything to cut me down. I asked myself if perhaps I was being too defensive, if I was unable to take criticism, or maybe hard to work with? I laugh at those concerns in retrospect because I should have known myself better than that. I understand now that people with HR or business related backgrounds lack the practical skills to critique an educator. These in particular didn�t know the first about actually teaching, forget critiquing a teacher! I�m glad to say that in my current position, I receive insightful and constructive criticism on a regular basis from an experienced teacher turned administrator. Furthermore, I thoroughly enjoy being evaluated by someone with such a rich and diverse experience.

The Lebanese ESL teaching staff that work for the IH houses are some of the most patient individuals I have ever met. However, in Lebanon jobs for Lebanese are far and few between so the suffering is worth it for most of those poor gals�In order to work there, you must be able to cope with control freaks for bosses, you must be a �beck and call girl� so to speak, above all �you must not complain or inquire about pay, you must kiss the boss� rear end, befriend her on a personal level, or risk getting sacked without notice. They compete to be best friends and it crawls right up the ladder to the top. Each manager wants to be the sidekick to the one on the step up from him/her. It is not an educational institute here� it is a play house for socialites, and boy did it open my eyes!

I actually can�t express accurately what working there did to me on a professional and emotional level. I can say that I almost lost my passion for teaching completely. I witnessed several competent well-rounded teachers fired for hearsay, jealousy, and irresponsible management�. There are not many men that work for the organization and �catty-ness� or female-competition was a huge and totally absurd part of working there. At times I felt like I was at a fashion show instead of work.

Prejudice�. I just have to go there if we are talking about IH in Lebanon. I mean this is a country that is diverse. You have Christians, Muslims, Druze�Isn�t the point of education that everyone deserves equal access? I can say that this is true for the students, but sadly not so for the teaching staff. I quickly learned that there is a blatant preference for Christian/non-religious teachers, or more frankly, women who do not dress according to the Islamic religious code. A Muslim teacher was fine as long as she was wearing something really fashionable or sexy.

Throughout my time working for IH, I was made aware of a teacher who had a nervous breakdown due to the management, and another teacher who quit (fled I guess would be a more accurate interpretation) because of mistreatment so severe, that I am actually in the process of documenting her experiences there, as well as mine. Ironically, one of these teachers received her degree abroad and spent a substantial amount of time there. The other who was of Lebanese nationality, was raised in an English speaking country (a native speaker).

I don�t want to name any names� Sorry to disappoint you! That�s not my style. What I can say is that I am well acquainted with the bosses of IH in Lebanon and that this behavior, sadly, stems right up to the top. When business, excuse me, when money takes precedence over education, staff and students suffer the consequences (especially when it�s bad business!). I learned that I am lucky to come from a place where the workers have rights. I learned to be wary of bosses who are spoiled, well connected, drama queens, and/or have inferiority complexes. Have you ever noticed that some people get into education just so that they can be the boss? To me that�s sickening. Anyways, I hope that answered your question adequately.

Lastly, I was warned before getting a job with IH in Lebanon that the track record for native speakers was bad. I figured that because I am modest, a lover of Lebanese culture, very warm, and hard-working, that I wouldn�t cause any problems like the hoity-toity types that I imagined had caused problems there in the past. If needing to know the schedule, when, and how much you will be getting paid is hoity-toity, then I guess I need to join that club!

[kernow]

We do have very different experiences of IH in Lebanon!!!

First of all, a correction - the IH centres in Lebanon do not all have the same management. The owners are related, yes, but the managers and management styles are very different, as are the conditions in the schools. I know this from experience. It's unfortunate that you have taken your experience and applied it across the board. I worked with native and non-native speakers, Christian, Muslim and Druze, the majority of whom were CELTA-qualified. There was a set syllabus and course books, a load of other resources and regular teacher development sessions and observations. It doesn't sound like your experience at all.

I also wanted to mention the 'employability' of foreigners. You made it sound very easy, and it can be. However, there is an issue of work and residency permits. I worked with some people a few years ago who were 'politely asked' to leave the country by General Security because they were found to be working on tourist visas. A friend recently found it impossible to find work because she was very expensive to employ legally compared to a local. Apparently the cost of the process runs into the thousands of dollars. OP1, as you're married to a Lebanese, I presume you've applied for citizenship which means you can work without these documents. Without them, however, you run the risk of deportation.

[orangepeel1]

Well first and foremost, thanks for not taking offence to anything that I said. I am in complete agreement with you that not all of the centers are exactly the same. I�m glad that you didn�t have the same experience that I did for your sake and for the reputation of the International House organization. As far as someone interested in employment in Lebanon, I would not recommend IH because of the fact that there is such an apparent difference from one branch to another. I for one, strive to avoid institutions that are not uniform, and consider the like shady all together�.One point that I stand firmly by, is that the �ownership� as you stated, is business-oriented. For an educator, this can be problematic. The IH houses in Lebanon that are operated by faulty management reflect that fact more than others. I know that others, westerners, have experienced difficulty working with this crew. Therefore, I feel obliged to warn prospectives....

You are correct in stating that it may be more difficult for non-Lebanese nationals to get a work visa in Lebanon. This is another reason that I declined to recommend the IH in my previous posts because they are among the institutions here that have proven unable to sponsor outsiders successfully. (This I know from personal as well as second-hand experience, at least for the branch where I worked.) On the other hand, larger institutions in Lebanon such as the Universities are able to provide work visas in the same way that the Gulf institutions do, and without tribulation.

Hopefully, through our discussions and contrasting experiences, others will be able to make an informed decision when considering employment at IH or in Lebanon. Again, if anyone has specific questions about my experiences there, feel free to send me a PM!

[sgrossbl]

Hello everyone,

I am currently in Damascus (still searching for a job) after testing the waters in Beirut so here are my two cents.
Beirut is a cool city, but it seems like most employment opportunities are in secondary schools, not language institutes. I got interviews quickly, but as I am a US citizen (and not of Lebanese descent), the schools would have to pay an arm and a leg to get my work visa (~$5000 US), so while they would have loved a native English speaker, many schools just couldn't front to cost to have one.

Things in Damascus are interesting as well. Just a few weeks ago, a law was passed restricting the employment of foreign teachers. I'm still not totally sure what this all means (I luckily have Syrian friends who have been helping me), but it involves getting some kind of approval from the education ministry. I, again luckily, have a friend with connections there, so once I find a school that wants to hire me I'll be okay.
My biggest struggle here has been the language barrier. I speak ok Arabic, a couple years of study at university, but not enough to figure things out totally. Language schools rarely have websites, so you will find them just by talking to people who know them. It's best if you have someone from Damascus to help get around- I'm still pretty confused in this city and road names don't seem to mean very much.

But Damascus as a city is amazing. Highly recommended, and I will let you all know what more I discover on the job-hunt front.

[tbori13]

Hi Everyone,

I am in Beirut trying to find English teaching jobs but I am quite unsure about how to go about getting a work permit (I have a residency permit) and what kind of requirements there are. Some schools have said they can't get me one because of the cost and some haven't said anything about it yet. Do you have to get a separate one for each job or can one permit apply to anywhere you work? Does anyone have positive experiences with certain schools regarding work permits?

[nstick13]

Bump.

Did anyone do the CELTA program at ALLC at International House.

Orangepeel doesn't seem to thrilled about WORKING for them, but I was wondering if anyone had any info on being a student.

http://www.allcs.edu.lb/default.aspx?s=10

They offer CELTA and CELTYL.